


Exchange Value

by Lord_Orange



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drama & Romance, Fun, Guardian Angels, Happy Ending, M/M, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-25 19:06:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3821488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Orange/pseuds/Lord_Orange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thorin is at the lowest point in his life when he meets Bilbo, who apparently is his highly annoying and socially awkward guardian angel. Technically he should be helping his charge to get a grip on his life again, but Thorin is quite a challenge. </p><p>“This isn’t about forcing the sun to shine but to learn how to dance in the rain, you insufferable git”<br/>“It always amazes me when you curse”<br/>“Yeah, well, deal with it. I’m not bursting up in flames, Thorin. God damnit!”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kin and Crane

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> This is an idea I had for a long time. I really hope you'll enjoy it, as it is a little bit of an experiment.  
> It's not as spiritual as one might think, it's about how beautiful life can be if you don't expect it.  
> Well, in any case: enjoy reading!
> 
> Music:  
> The Wombats / Greek Tragedy  
> Matthew Perryman / Save you  
> Wye Oak / Civilian  
> The Reindeer Section / Cold Water

Dark water lapped at the stone of the pier. An icy wind was blowing in his face as he stared down, stared into the dark water, hating everything so very much. Not for the first time he began to wonder how it would be to simply die.

He regretted the last years of his life. So many bad choices and decisions he had made. It had cost him his family, his job and somewhere along his way down he had thrown his heart in the gutter as well. At the proud age of 35 he found himself wanting and tired. Tired of trying, tired of life. No longer could he bear the feeling of loneliness that awaited him at his flat, nor the void in his chest. The pointless chatter of his colleagues at work is wearing him out and the ever-present isolation is driving him insane.

After he had graduated university with a degree that stated he was fit to work as an architect he had been motivated and enthusiastic. But the first try at freelance-work had gone terribly wrong due to his mercurial temper. Several jobs later he was now forced to work in a tiny impersonal cubicle facing a dead-end without any creativity.

Things really had gone downhill after university. He had broken with his sister over a silly argument, both of them too proud and stupid to back down. He wished above all else to get his family back. Or at least what was left of it.

He was fairly sure that his sister was still in London and now the mother of two boys. Boys who Thorin had never met because of a dispute with Dis he couldn’t even remember. Not for the first time he wondered if he would still be able to spot his sister if he met her on the street. Would he be able to recognize her, or would he just walk past her without noticing? Just two strangers who drifting by.

He barely felt the cold stone beneath his fingers or the biting wind on his face, gaze still fixed on the water below. How would dying feel? Would it be quick? He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.

“Say, if you could change something in your life, anything really, what would you choose?” A soft voice interrupted his dark musing and startled him. Holding back an annoyed growl he turned his head slightly, not quite looking at the intruder.  
“Not wasting my time talking to strangers”

The laugher that followed his statement sounded like little bells rustling in the wind and Thorin couldn’t help but looking who would be able to make such a pleasant noise.

Next to him, leaning with his back against the stone, stood a young man – in his late twenties perhaps – smiling warmly at him. The man was short but slim, clad in casual blue-jeans, a green jumper and sneakers. His head was crowned with gingery curls that hadn’t seen a comb in quite a while. The face of the stranger had soft features and a kind expression as he regarded Thorin. And yet, the most amazing feature of the young man was his eyes. They looked so much older and wiser than eyes of any young man should look.

The stranger laughed again and Thorin realized that he had been caught staring. “So, what would you change, Thorin?” He asked again, leaning casually against the stone balustrade of the bridge.

Thorin startled. For the life of him, he couldn’t recall having ever seen the other man before. How on earth could the ginger know his name? “Do we know each other?” He asked curtly regarding the other man wearily.

The stranger smiled, eyes sparkling with something close to mischief. “No, we don’t. Well, at least, you don’t know me” The ginger pointed out without missing a bit and started to watch the people who went past them.

“Funny, how they all see and not see each other isn’t it? Everyone is in their own little bubble, don’t you think?” The short man mused, not in the least intimidated by Thorin’s glare.

“How do you know me?”

The gaze of the smaller man fell back on him. “Well, that’s the tricky part, I’m afraid” He stated looking a bit concerned.

“Enlighten me then” Thorin cocked a mocking eyebrow.

“Probably later. I haven’t found a way that doesn’t make it sound cheesy, you know?” The ginger started nibbling at his lower lip.

“Well, in that case, I’m afraid I have better things to do” Thorin retorted, feeling angry that he had wasted more time than necessary on the lunatic stranger. He started to walk away but the soft voice held him back.

“You’re 35 years old and you’re an architect looking for a job that suits you better and…”

“Yeah, I’m not buying it” Thorin grunted moving away but the ginger followed him.

Given their difference in height the smaller man had trouble keeping up with Thorin’s long strides as they walked over the bridge.

“You have a sister whose name is Dis but you haven’t seen her in five years” That made Thorin glare at the other man again. “You’re a lunatic and a stalker. Everyone with a working internet connection could have worked that out. Leave me alone!”

The ginger was holding his gaze and gave him a sad smile. “And you just thought about jumping off this bridge…not for the first time” This last statement actually made Thorin stop dead in his tracks.

“What did you just say?”

“You heard me perfectly well” The small man started to knead his fingers unsure of what to do with his hands. “You miss your sister and hate your job. Well, everyone would hate your job. But more importantly, you could actually be a great architect if you wouldn’t ruin everything with your temper first”

He finally crossed his arms over his chest looking daringly at Thorin.

“What the hell are you talking about? How do you know all those things?”

“Erm…Well, it’s really hard to explain. I just KNOW how you feel and what you think. Oh stop brooding! Seriously, you have no idea how awkward this is for me!” The weird little ginger looked desperate. He was still flexing his fingers nervously as he regarded Thorin with his marvelous eyes.

“Awkward? For you?” Thorin crossed his arms in front of his brad chest and loomed over the other man, trying his best to look intimidating. “Frankly, you’ve made this whole experience quite uncomfortable for me as well. You’re quite a thorough stalker”

“Well, aren’t you a ray of sunshine! This whole guardian thing is tricky and honestly, hardly any of us ever have to directly interact with our charge” He puffed his cheeks and leaned against the balustrade again. Sadly he really looked rather gorgeous and not like a bloody lunatic at all. Just his rotten luck really.

“Guardian? Charge? This is getting crazier by the minute. So, you’d like me to believe that you are my what? Guardian angel or anything?”

“Well, either that, or you’re standing on the middle of a bridge with a lunatic. Reassuring, isn’t it?”

“Right. So can you show me your…I don’t know…your wings, perhaps? Just to prove what you are saying?”

The ginger growled in annoyance. “It’s always the same with you! You always expect evidence. That’s not how it works, Thorin. This is going to be about belief and trust, if you want it or not!”

“This might be a good time to tell you about my atheism. With your astonishing people-skills you must know that I’m the wrong person for those life-changing-feng-shui-things” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“All right, you know what. You’ve messed up. Our first meeting and you’ve messed up” The short man stepped closer looking slightly annoyed.

“You want prove, you get prove” With that he grabbed Thorin’s arm and without a word of warning Thorin felt a strange fluttering sensation in his stomach. It felt as if he was riding a rollercoaster but the feeling past as fast as it had come.

He hadn’t realized that he had closed his eyes but when he opened them he nearly jumped out of his skin. Mere seconds before they had been standing on a bridge, but now they were sitting in a cozy coffee shop. It was the same coffee shop Thorin used to stop by every time he had visited his sisters all those years ago, he realized.

The man who claimed to be his…well, he couldn’t even think the word so absurd was it, was sitting in front of him, feeling perfectly at home.

“I know you don’t believe me. That’s okay, I guess. It’ll come. I’m Bilbo, by the way” The ginger told him and extended his hand. Thorin shook it without hesitation.

“Any more questions?”

“Yeah, why do I need to put up with you?”  
Bilbo’s smile turned sad before he answered honestly. “Because you’re about to mess up”

“So? Everyone does! What’s so special about me?”  
“Nothing, you’re not special at all. It’s just, well, regret is a pointless emotion and you’re basically regretting every decision you ever made”  
“So?”  
“So, I’m going to help you pick up your mess. Normally the big boss would send you a good friend or a kind person but…”  
“But, what?”  
“…but you really don’t take well to people in general”  
“The big boss?”  
“No, don’t start. Really, just don’t!”

Bilbo sat back in his chair taking up a cup from the table between them. “Right, your sister…”

“How the hell do you know about that?”

Bilbo groaned and hid his face behind his free hand. His next words came muffled. “Listen, this isn’t getting any easier. Not for you, not for me. Do us both a favour and simply accept it, when I say things you never thought anyone would know, okay?”

“God, you’re mental!”

“God hasn’t really anything to do with that. You can think of me as your own personal mental disease, if you want”

“Are you a mental illness?”

“No, but I thought it could help…” He shrugged his shoulders apologetic and took a sip from his cup. “Yeah, well, let’s start, okay?” The ginger put a quadratic piece of paper on the table between them and began folding it.

“What’s that supposed to be?” Thorin asked eyeing the cup and the paper thing in front of him suspiciously.

“That’s an origami crane” Bilbo announced proudly presenting the paper animal. Thorin merely cocked an eyebrow not gracing the statement with an answer. Yet he had to admit the paper bird looked nice despite the nasty orange colour of the paper.

“Have you ever heard of Senbazuru?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Oh shut up! It’s a Japanese legend that says if you fold a thousand origami cranes you get a wish. And before you ask: no, I don’t want you to fold so many. I just want you to keep this one” He pushed the piece across the table until it brushed Thorin’s finger tips.

Bilbo drained his cup before he smirked at Thorin. “If you don’t want to finish your tea we’ll be on our way again”

Thorin only had time to shake his head before the same fluttering sensation overcame him yet a second time.

When he opened his eyes again he found them standing in front of a small town house in the North of London. Instantly Thorin recognized the neat little house with its tidy front garden and the lovely arranged flower pots. He himself had helped moving heavy boxes and furniture up the crocked stairwell for hours and had kneeled in front of some of the flowerpots, putting soil into them.

The fence was a jolly yellow, but when he had been here the last time it still had been white. The ivy had grown too, as it covered now the better half of the little house’s façade. So many times in the past years he had thought about coming back here and simply knock on the door again. Yet he had never had the guts to do it.

Frankly he had absolutely no idea how he had ended up here today, with his self-claimed guardian angel in tow.

“What are we doing here?” He asked gravely.  
“We need a starting point. This it is. It’ll be like ripping off a band-aid. It’ll be over before you know it” Bilbo told him bouncing happily on his feet.

Thorin stood there rooted to the spot just glaring at the door with the neat little garden around it and couldn’t bring himself to move. “Go on then. Knock” Bilbo ushered him closer to the steps that lead to the entrance door.

“What the hell am I supposed to do here? What could I possibly tell her?”

Pulling him up the stairs, Bilbo turned to him and smiled his broad smile. “You know, it doesn’t really matter” He knocked forcefully against the wooden door, one hand around Thorin’s wrist to keep him from running. “And if that doesn’t help just go with how great an arse you are and that you are sorry!”

A sudden rustling sound, just like wind in leaves and Bilbo was gone in the blink of an eye. Thorin stared at the spot where the ginger had stood not a second ago but Bilbo was nowhere to be found.

Behind the door he could here soft steps approaching and he just stood there, feeling lost and utterly stupid. Turning to leave he put his hands in his pockets, what he found in there made him stop. He pulled the folded paper animal from his left pocket and locked at it.

The crane had looked a bit nicer in the café, but the nasty orange paper got a soft golden glow in the light of the small light over the door. He put the paper crane back in his pocket and waited.

When Dis finally managed to open the front door it was as if the last five years had never happened.

“Look what the wind brought me today…”

It felt as if something was nudging at his back, urging the words that had been in his mind for so long to spill. “Dis..I…I don’t…I’m very…” He stopped, regarding his sister and taking in just how little she had changed during the years in which he hadn’t seen her.

She looked skeptical and wary and yet, there was a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. And the hope of an honest smile from his little sister was enough for him.

Before he could say anything else, he felt the strong arms of his sister wrapping around his shoulders. “You couldn’t have picked a better time, Thorin”

“God, I’ve missed you”

He wrapped his arms around her too and pressed them closer together, afraid that he would wake up and everything would dissolve into a dream.

“I’ve missed you too, so very much!” She let go of him but kept one hand wrapped around his arm. “We should go inside, it’s getting cold. Besides, there is someone I want you to meet”

 

>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<< 

 

Hours later he was sitting on his couch back at home. New photos of himself and Dis and his two nephews on his phone. In just a few hours he had gotten his family back, something he had lived without for the last five years.

He had stayed over for dinner, as Dis had insisted on it. He had helped feeding baby Kili and had told four-year old Fili stories about treasures and dragons while Dis had poured them both some wine. The smile was stuck on his face.

Leaning back a deep and satisfied sigh escaped his throat. He hadn’t felt this content and happy in a long while.

“You had a pleasant time, I take it?” A familiar voice piped up. Thorin nearly fell of his couch, startled to death. Bilbo was leaning against the doorframe leading into the kitchen, still wearing the green jumpers and blue-jeans but no shoes.

He bit into an apple and smiled around his mouthful at Thorin.

“Giving me a heart attack would be against the rules, I could imagine”

Instead of an answer Bilbo waved the hand that held the apple dismissively. “Don’t be ridiculous. Tell me, how did it go?”

Thorin couldn’t help but smile again.

“It was bloody brilliant!”


	2. The Elephant with Offerings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Music:
> 
> The Black Keys / Lonely Boy  
> Radical Face / Ghost Towns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,  
> I'd like to thank you all for your kind words. I really appreciate it, thanks a lot!   
> Enjoy the next chapter!

It had taken several weeks for Thorin to get used to have Bilbo around and even longer to finally accept that the little ginger liked to pop in at the oddest hours. When he thought back now he couldn’t tell how he could have ever survived without Bilbo.

When Bilbo wasn’t pestering him during working hours he trailed alongside the dark haired man, chattering away freely, pointing out strange things, causing people to throw strange glances in their direction. Thorin had stopped minding it but rather enjoyed the company and how easy their relationship was.

Frankly, he still believed that Bilbo was at an unfair advantage, claiming to know everything that there was to know about Thorin and yet, never had it been easier for him to interact with someone. There was bickering and discussions about the bigger and smaller things in life, but all in all their interaction was amicable.

Most of their time together however was spent in Thorin’s kitchen. There had been a time in his life when Thorin had loved to cook especially when he had had friends of family over. He hadn’t touched much of his equipment in quite a while but his well stocked kitchen always brought a gleam to Bilbo’s eyes.

The ginger would either sit on the counter chit-chatting while Thorin cooked for them or he would slouch on the floor nibbling away on whatever treat he had found in the cupboards.

Somehow their discussion almost always ended in friendly banter and more than once they had falling into a giggle fit afterwards. Yes, having Bilbo around had brought a whole new quality to his life. As if the smaller man had filled a void Thorin hadn’t quite been aware it existed.

He regarded Bilbo with fondness and respect however he couldn’t help his general roughness.

Most of their time spent together was fairly nice, except when Bilbo appeared during awkward or uncomfortable moments. Something the ginger was hardly ever aware off. There had been this one incident in his bathroom that made Thorin blush even after several weeks had past.

 

_“So, let’s talk business”_

_“Would you mind if I got dressed first?” Thorin growled, still clutching at the towel around his hips. Mere minutes ago Bilbo had appeared in his bathroom halfway through Thorin’s shower who had been occupied with not-just-showering. The ginger however had reacted quite poorly to his banishment from the bathroom during future shower-time._

_“Oh sure, sure, go ahead” The ginger exclaimed carefree and settled down onto Thorin’s bed._

_Standing rooted to the spot Thorin watched him with a gobsmacked expression on his face. “You have no decency, do you?”_

_“I can close my eyes if you want? We’re all professionals here” Bilbo offered, realizing that he might have pushed some boundaries again._

_Thorin grunted non-committal and went over to his wardrobe to get dressed._

_“You said something about business” He offered to smooth over his blush as he caught Bilbo staring a few minutes later._

_“Oh, yeah, right! Do you remember your old friend Dwalin from College?” Thorin nodded as he buttoned up his shirt. “What about him?”_

_“Well, technically he stills owes you a favour and works as a head hunter for several architecture firms. Neat, huh?” Lounging on the huge bed Bilbo looked like a satisfied cat._

_“The favour is time-barred, it’s been years since I’ve last seen him” Thorin had always liked Dwalin quite a lot but somehow they had drifted apart over the years._

_“Oh well, in that case, I’ll call him” He sat up crossing his legs._

_“What?” Thorin spun around almost strangling himself with his cravat he was trying to tie. Bilbo was fiddling with something that looked painfully like Thorin’s mobile phone._

_“Wait, Bilbo, what are you doing?” His voice sounded a tad more paranoid than he had aimed for._

_The ginger however had already dialed and pressed the phone to his ear. “Bilbo, give me back my phone, now!” He moved to grab his phone but the ginger jumped off the bed and out of Thorin’s reach. Apparently someone had picked up at the other end of the line, because Bilbo rasped a greeting into the phone. The Voice that left his mouth though wasn’t his own – it was Thorin’s._

_“Hello Dwalin, this is Thorin Durinson, do you rememb – Yeah, from College! It’s great to talk to you again too! It’s been too long!” With a last glare at Bilbo, Thorin turned around again to finish with his cravat, trying to accept his fate._

_Bilbo ended the call and threw the mobile at Thorin who actually managed to catch it. “Frankly, I don’t know how Dwalin managed to end up in human resources…I mean, have you seen the guy? He scares the living daylight out of me!”_

_Looking gravely, Thorin asked “What have you done?”_

_“I got you a job interview. Oh and you’ll have to go out for lunch with Dwalin today, for old times’ sake”_

_“Don’t look so damn cocky, it doesn’t suit you!” The taller man said and shrugged on his jacket._

_Waving his hand dismissively Bilbo walked out of the bedroom. “What’s for breakfast?”_

_Thorin shook his head in disbelief. “You’ll be the death of me…”_

A few days after the incident Thorin had a scheduled job interview and an invitation to a pub-crawl, both something he wasn’t particularly fond of.

Lunch with Dwalin had been nice but uneventful, meaning; Bilbo hadn’t interrupted nor had anything weird happened either.

He had spent the last days preparing for the interview or at his sister’s, enjoying quality time with the two additions to the family. Bilbo had been suspiciously absent for quite a while now, but when he came down into the living room on the morning of his job interview he scolded himself. He should have known better.

“Bilbo?” He cried out. Frankly, he had no idea if the little ginger was actually still around, but there was a strange stone thing sitting on his mantelshelf that hadn’t been there the night before.

Emerging from the kitchen, munching on a piece of toast Bilbo greeted him with a cup of steaming hot coffee.

“Good moring”

“Bilbo, what on earth is that bloody thing on my mantelshelf?” Craning his neck to look past Thorin, Bilbo glanced at the mantelshelf, pretending he didn’t know what Thorin was talking about.

“Oh. That happens to be a Ghanesha statue” He clarified after Thorin continued to glare at him from over the rim of his coffee cup.

“Are you kidding me?” Glancing at his wristwatch he added “I’ve no time for this, I’m already running late” He tried to push past Bilbo to put the empty cup in the sink but Bilbo wouldn’t move.

“Don’t you want to ask something?” Crossing his arms over his chest, Bilbo looked at him almost looking affronted.

Thorin rubbed the bridge of his nose trying to relax. “Okay, all right. Why?”

He pointed vaguely at the stone statue, his mind already on his way to the interview.

Bilbo took his time to finish his piece of toast, fully aware of Thorins waning patience.

“Why do you have a problem with it? I think it looks nice” He finally said. Thorin glared at him feeling gobsmacked. “I don’t have a problem with it, but it’s a Hindu god”

“So?” Bilbo asked appearing awfully calm and patient.

“Yeah, well, you claim to be an angel…”

“Oh no, no, no” Not again! I already told you that’s not how it works!” Throwing his hands in the air he trudged over to stand next to the statue.

Releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding Thorin followed him, eyeing the ginger suspiciously. “Why Ghanesha?”

“Because Ghanesha has the tendency to travel” Bilbo said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“I don’t get it” He glanced at his watch again, realizing that he should have left 5 minutes ago.

“Goodness is a present you have to pass on” How on earth could someone look like the personification of tranquility at this time of the day?

“Right, and what had that to do with me? What am I supposed to do with this monstrosity?” It got harder and harder to ban the annoyance out of his voice.

“You sacrifice something to him” Bilbo answered as if it was the most plausible thing in the world.

“Sacrifice something? Like virgin blood?” Thorin asked irritable.

“Think less satanic” He smiled and put some wrapped sweets in Thorin’s hand.

“Look, Ghanesha is a foodie” Thorin cocked an eyebrow but remained silent. “Every time you ask for something or need good fortune for something, you’ll offer him something. Spare coins, a biscuit…you have endless possibilities!”

“You’re mental” He rubbed his temples and took another glance at his watch. “I really don’t have time for this, I’m already running late!”

Almost instantly Bilbo’s face darkened. “Thorin Durinson, you’ll offer those sweets to the damn elephant statue right now, or so help me!”

In the end he had actually dropped some of the disgustingly colourfully wrapped sweets in the lap of the stone elephant before he had rushed out of the door. Ignoring Bilbo’s self-satisfied smirk as he had pushed past the smaller man as he had left the flat in a hurry had been hard.

After this morning encounter he was actually looking forward to the job interview. It couldn’t possibly be worse than a hypoglycemic guardian angel in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always interested in your thoughts! :D

**Author's Note:**

> Well, well, well.  
> Let me know what you think.  
> Comments and criticisms are very welcome!


End file.
